Family of Opposites, Episode 1: Department Head Loses Job, Oppressed by Former Subordinates
Right in the opening episode, Mr. Phi (Meritorious Artist Hoang Hai) faces the shock of being demoted after the merger, bitterly watching his former subordinate Thai (Manh Hung) take his place, and begins a series of days being oppressed in the workplace.
The shock after the merger and the shift in attitudes.
Episode 1 of the series "The Opposite Family" opens with a scene from an important meeting at Mr. Phi's (Meritorious Artist Hoang Hai) office. There, the leadership announces new personnel decisions following the merger. The most shocking decision is Mr. Phi being demoted from Head of Department to Deputy Head of Department.
Ironically, the person who replaced Mr. Phi as Head of Department was Thai (Manh Hung), a former subordinate of his. Immediately after his appointment, Thai clearly demonstrated his "sycophantic" nature by completely changing his attitude towards Mr. Phi. In his first department meeting in his new role, Thai announced the list of prospective personnel, ruthlessly eliminating Nam, Mr. Phi's nephew, and another close associate.
A series of humiliating days at the office
Holding power, Thai constantly sought to undermine and humiliate Mr. Phi. He deliberately assigned him heavy manual labor such as moving furniture, and did not hesitate to belittle his professional abilities, claiming that Mr. Phi's professional skills were "sometimes not even as good as those of the newly hired interns."
In one instance, upon seeing Mr. Phi knock over a box of documents, Thai sarcastically remarked that if he couldn't even handle simple tasks like carrying things, how could he possibly be entrusted with important work? Thai even deliberately brought up the issue of age: "I'm getting old, if I break my arm or leg, I'll cause trouble for everyone here." Although feeling bitter, Mr. Phi could only endure it in silence.
Financial burden and family pressure
After a stressful day at work, Mr. Phi and his nephew, Nam, went out for a beer to relieve stress. Nam was worried about what he would say to his family if he were fired. Both uncle and nephew were under pressure to send money back home to contribute to the construction of their family's ancestral church.
Mr. Phi also confided about his own financial burden. He is currently paying off a bank loan for building a house, while his children are not yet financially stable and his wife's salary is meager. Therefore, he instructed his grandson not to reveal that he had lost his job.
Unspoken secrets and family turmoil
While Mr. Phi was facing a major crisis, at home, his wife, Mrs. Anh (Meritorious Artist Kieu Anh), was causing a commotion by constantly calling her husband and children because their beloved dog, Sofia, had passed away. Mrs. Anh's calls were so incessant that her two children, Duc (Thieu Tuan Anh) and Duong (Quynh Trang), had to drop everything and rush home to comfort their mother.
When Mr. Phi arrived home, he couldn't contain his anger at his wife for making such a fuss over nothing, while he was already reeling from the shock of losing his job. However, seeing his wife about to cry, he had to turn and comfort her.
Mr. Phi decided to keep his demotion a secret from his family. However, his distraction and unusual mood did not escape the notice of his wife and children. His daughter tried to question him, but he only vaguely mentioned administrative complications. Mrs. Anh also noticed her husband's strange behavior, but he remained determined to conceal the truth.
The next developments in the series will be revealed in episode 2, airing at 8 PM on December 1st on VTV3.
